A big fan of the game of baseball itself, who just happens to have no favorite team.

Results tagged ‘ 1975 ’

For the first time since 1918, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series Championship in front of their hometown fans, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in game six; four games to two overall. The Red Sox become just the second team in MLB history to win the World Series one season after finishing in last place, joining the 1991 Twins.

Truly incredible when you think about it.

While this was a relatively exciting series, the Cardinals just didn’t have what it took to beat the Red Sox, who were extremely hot at the right time of the year. No player on the Sox was hotter than David Ortiz, who hit .688 with two home runs and six RBI’s in the series, earning him MVP honors. He also holds the distinction of being the second player in Red Sox history to have won three rings with the team — a true Red Sox legend.

Game six was a pitching rematch of game two, with Michael Wacha and John Lackey on the mound for their respective teams. Wacha would have a very uncharacteristic game, allowing six runs through his 3.2 innings pitched. That’s more runs than he had allowed in his previous four postseason starts combined.

The runs came in the third inning, after a good first two innings, on a three-run double by Shane Victorino, and a solo-shot homer by Stephen Drew, along with a few timely hits for a couple more runs, in the fourth. The Sox wouldn’t score again, but the six runs are all they would need.

John Lackey was dominant, going 6.2 innings only giving up a single run. He would exit the game in the sixth, with the bases loaded after a couple of hits and a walk, however, his replacement, Junichi Tazawa, would get Allen Craig to ground out to end the threat. That was the nail in the coffin, as the Cardinals wouldn’t come close to scoring a run again.

Koji Uehara, who’s been fantastic for the Red Sox throughout the regular season and postseason, with a World Series ERA below one, got the final three outs of the game to secure the Red Sox their eighth World Series title in franchise history.

This is just their third Championship in 95 years — going 86 years without a title — so it’s not like they’re beating out everyone else season after season. When they win they truly have a magical year.

Ask any Red Sox fan or player and they’ll tell you this season was just that — magical.

As I wrote in my last blog post, there was a chance coming into St. Louis that either the Cardinals or the Red Sox could win the World Series, should they be able to sweep the other team. But thanks to a couple of wild finished, the series heads back to Boston — the Red Sox lead 3-2 — where a champion will be crowned at Fenway Park for the first time since 1975, when the Reds beat out the Red Sox in seven games. (If the Sox win it will be their first World Series clinch at home since 1918.)

But a lot took place to get to this point.

Going into game three, on Saturday, the Red Sox had Jake Peavy on the mound taking on the Cardinals’ Joe Kelly. Both Peavy and Kelly had been decent this season/postseason, and both were looking to give their team the edge in this talent-laden World Series.

Peavy had a bit of trouble early, allowing a couple runs to the Cardinals in the bottom of the first inning, but he quickly regained himself, not allowing a run the remainder of his four inning outing. Kelly was just a bit better, however, as he gave up only one run over 5.1 innings, when he was replaced by Randy Choate, who promptly gave up the game tying run to the Red Sox.

The bottom of the seventh saw the Cardinals retaking the lead, on a two-run double by Matt Holliday. But just as to be expected in an exciting World Series game, the Red Sox tied things up in the very next inning. Making the score 4-4, heading into the ninth.

Things would then get interesting.

The Sox failed to score in the top half, as Trevor Rosenthal was dominant once again, giving the Cardinals a chance to walk-off with a big win. Which they did, but not in the most conventional way. A Yadier Molina single was followed up with an Allen Craig pinch-hit double, placing runners at second and third with just one away. Jon Jay would then ground to Dustin Pedroia, who quickly threw home for the out, but a wide throw by Jarrod Saltalamacchia led to the most talked about World Series play in years.

Will Middlebrooks found himself with nowhere to go after diving for the errant throw, leaving third base umpire, Jim Joyce, to signal obstruction, after Allen Craig tripped over Middlebrooks, which would subsequently win the Cardinals the ballgame. Not a way you’d like to see a game of that magnitude end, but you had to figure it would give the Red Sox added motivation in the next game.

Game four didn’t have a controversial finish, but it did end in just as unusual of fashion.

A surprise to many, Clay Buchholz, who had been reported at thirty percent healthy, had a great game for the Red Sox, only allowing a single run through his four innings on the mound. Lance Lynn, who isn’t really acknowledged that often, had a great game as well, also giving up a single run through his 5.1 innings pitched.

Although, after Lynn allowed a couple of base runners in the fifth, he was replaced by Seth Maness — a mistake in my mind, as Maness has been getting hit all postseason — who allowed a homer to Jonny Gomes, making the score 4-1, Red Sox.

The Cardinals would score a run in the seventh, and go onto make a push to tie the game in the ninth, but a mistake by rookie Kolten Wong ended the game with everyone stunned. Getting picked off at first by Koji Uehara, Wong became the first player in postseason history to get picked off to end the ballgame.

The series once again became tied, heading into a final game in St. Louis.

A rematch of game one, game six saw Adam Wainwright going up against Jon Lester in a pivotal game. Both Lester and Wainwright pitched well — Wainwright struck out six batters through the first two innings — as they both allowed a mere one run through the first six innings.

The one run off of Wainwright came from an RBI-double by David Ortiz, who is now hitting .733 in the series — the only Red Sox player in history with back-to-back 3-hit nights in the Fall Classic. Lester’s lone run came off a solo-shot homer to Matt Holliday — one of Lester’s only four hits allowed.

The Red Sox would get the better of Wainwright in the seventh, scoring two runs to make the score 3-2, Sox. And that’s how the game would end, as Koji Uehara was stellar once again, closing out the game for the Red Sox.

The Cardinals and Red Sox now head back to Boston. It will be interesting to see how each team plays, knowing game six could be it. The way this World Series has been going, however, — especially with Michael Wacha pitching game six for the Cardinals — I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it go seven games. But, in the end, if I had to pick a favorite at this point in the series, I’d have to give the Red Sox the edge.

Archives

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.